Heart In The Middle
by justanoutlaw
Summary: David connects with one of his customers after she has a particularly hard day.
1. Chapter 1

**Anonymous on CuriousCat prompted: Prompt 56 : Snow and Charming " Are you flirting with me? "**

She comes in every day to buy an iced mocha and an orange cranberry muffin. David knows her order by heart.

"I remember everyone's."

It's a lie. There are five other customers that slide in and say "I'll have the usual" and he cannot for the life of him remember. It doesn't matter that he works there six days a week, most of the time double shifts. His boss says that a good employee remembers these things, but he has a lot more to worry about. He's got a full course load, a sick mother he barely has time to see and a dick of an uncle that he wants to avoid like the plague.

When she walks in, however, he forgets all about that. He forgets about the stress, the homework and his dying mother. All he can see, is her. Her beautiful smile, those sparkling emerald eyes and the pixie cut that frames her face so well.

It takes him a month to learn her name. They don't ask for them in the coffee shop. It's not until he sees a bubblegum binder covered with unicorn and rainbow stickers that he spots it. At the top is one of those "Hello My Name Is" tags and it reads "Mary Margaret".

David begins using it and doodling it on her cup. If she thinks it's weird, she doesn't say anything. In fact, she doesn't say much at all to him. They smile, she blushes when he instantly remembers her order, but that's it. They don't have more to do with each other than coffee and muffins.

Then one day, she comes in with red, puffy eyes and no trace of that magic smile anywhere. It's later than when she would usually come in and she's not wearing her typical cardigan. Instead, she has on a black dress. She walks to the counter and for a moment, David is flustered. He isn't used to seeing Mary Margaret this way and it troubles him.

"The usual?" He finally asks.

Mary Margaret looks up at him as if he just pondered the meaning of life. "I…no."

"No?"

"I want…" She scans the menu. "A green tea and a brownie."

Who is he to argue?

Sometimes she would stay to study, others she took it to go. Today, she sits there for hours. She sips on her tea and barely touches her fudgy treat. David does his best not to stare as he tends to the other customers and cleans up. The hours tick by and soon, it's up to him to close up. He's subtle about it at first, sweeping the floors and putting the day-old pastries away for the homeless shelter. Then he moves onto switching the sign from open to closed. Still, Mary Margaret sits. Any other customer, he'd politely but firmly tell to get out.

David walks over and sits in front of her. The tea is gone, the brownie practically untouched. She looks up at him and frowns.

"You're closed, aren't you?"

"Technically. But, you can stay."

Mary Margaret lets out a shaky breath. "I…I buried my mother today."

David shudders. He thinks of his own mother, the doctors who want to discuss a new treatment they can't possibly afford. Even if he manages to scrape together the money, he knows hospice is the next step. He hates that Mary Margaret is going through this.

"I am so sorry."

She nods. "I…I didn't know where else to go after the funeral. I was at this reception with people hugging me and wishing me well. My father didn't even bother to show up."

"Seriously?"

"He had a business trip."

"Still, that's your mother. I assume his wife."

Mary Margaret shrugs. "Just the kind of man he is. He sent flowers for her, a necklace for me." She lets out a bitter laugh. "As if she's still alive and he missed Christmas or something. Not her fucking funeral."

"Jesus Christ."

It sounds like something his own father would've done. Seems like the fates knew that Robert had to go before Ruth. Yet, they still left him with his Uncle George.

"So…while my cousin Regina gave a toast in my mother's honor…I left. Snuck out the back door, got in my car and somehow ended up here."

"Why?"

Mary Margaret's eyebrows crinkles. "Why?"

"I mean…it's a coffee shop. Not exactly the best place to grieve."

"It's familiar. I come here every day." Mary Margaret looks around the shop. "My mother started taking me here when I was 10 years old. She loved it. She ordered green tea and a brownie." She gestures to the dishes in front of her. "This felt like more of a place to feel closer to her than the stuffy house she and my father shared."

David nods. "I guess that makes sense."

Mary Margaret wipes at her eyes. "God, I'm sorry," she mutters. "I should go…you don't want me here…"

"Yes!" David says it so urgently, it physically rattles Mary Margaret. He curses himself. "I mean…I do have to close up or my ass of a boss will see on the cameras. But…maybe we could go for a walk. We can go anywhere…so you don't have to go back home."

"You'd do that for me? You don't even know me."

"I know you iced mochas and cranberry orange muffins." Mary Margaret laughs in spite of her tears, ducking her head. "I know you have unicorn stickers on your binder. I know you're Mary Margaret and you come here every day, at least the six days I'm here. I know…I know that no one should be alone after they bury a parent."

Mary Margaret smiles at him, shaking her head. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd ask if you were hitting on me or stalking me or something. But I'm just too sad and too tired to think about that."

David grins. "Let me just finish closing up and put my apron away. There's this lake nearby that I'd love to show you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Prompted by anonsnowing on Tumblr: #64 (are you human)**

Mary Margaret knows it was dangerous to take a walk with a guy she didn't know. Well, she knows David sort of. He works at the coffee shop she went to every day. He couldn't have been hired if he was a known serial killer.

Not all serial killers were known.

She shakes the thought from her head. David is a sweet guy. A little awkward, but sweet. She supposes she can't judge awkward. She spent 6 hours in a coffee shop, trying to ignore the crowd at her house. Speaking of which, Regina has been blowing up her phone. She sighs and quickly sends a text, letting her know she's okay. She tells her she can go home, she'll clean up later. Ever stubborn, Regina refuses to leave and says she'll see her soon.

"Ready to go?"

Mary Margaret turns to find David standing there. His apron is gone and he's got a leather jacket on over his flannel shirt. She sticks her hands into her sweater pocket and nods.

"How far is this lake?"

David locks the door to the cafe. "Not very. Just follow me."

They walk at a slow pace around the block. The only sounds are the few cars going by on the street and the light buzzing from the street lamp. It's early spring, so the weather isn't too cold but isn't that warm either. Mary Margaret can remember the funeral director saying they were lucky they didn't need the ground to thaw.

_So lucky my mom died at a convenient time for all of you._

They turn a corner and are suddenly far from Main Street. They're surrounded by trees and dirt. Storybrooke is like that, half big city and half woodland. The pamphlets describe it as the best of both worlds, thus the name. It seems like something out of a storybook. No matter where you go for always end up back there.

David comes to a stop when they reach the lake. Mary Margaret hasn't seen this one before. The moon and stars shine down on it. A frog ribbits off a lilly pad. It's calm, peaceful.

"How'd you find out about this place?" she asks.

"When my dad died, my brother and I would escape the house to forget. James found the lake. We'd catch frogs for hours."

Mary Margaret lightly smiles. "You have a brother?"

"Identical twin. He lives in New York, Manhattan. He goes to school there." David kicks the grass. "Doesn't visit often."

"You go see him?"

"Don't exactly have the time or the money. I'm in school and anything from the cafe goes to my mom's medical bills."

"Your mom…"

"Cancer."

Mary Margaret's eyes widen. "David, you….and here I am…" She had unloaded on him and he clearly had enough going on.

David puts a hand on her forearm. "Don't. It's fine. I like a distraction from my shit." He smiles and it warms her stomach. "I couldn't even visit her tonight, I got off after visiting hours."

Mary Margaret nods. "So, you do it all alone? Since James is in New York?"

"I didn't tell you this to make it about me…"

"I want a distraction," Mary Margaret interrupts. "So tell me about it."

David sighs. "Yeah. James offered to come back but Mom wouldn't head of it. She hates I help enough as it is. My uncle, her brother, is around, but he sucks. All he does is remind me I should be studying law or something useful."

"What's your major?"

"Criminal justice. I wanna be a cop."

"I like that."

"And you?"

"Elementary education. Not sure about a grade yet. My student teaching is going to be 5th."

David nods. "I can see you as a teacher."

"Really?" She tilts her head. "Why?"

"The unicorn sticker, on the binder. You just have that bubbly, teachery vibe."

Mary Margaret can feel her cheeks heat. She dips her head before meeting his blue eyes again.

"Are you human? Is this real?" she asks.

David's eyebrows furrow. "Huh?"

"My mom died today, I was miserable. And now...I'm here by this beautiful lake with a guy that before this week all I said was "iced mocha please"." She shrugs. "It just seems so surreal."

David bites his lip. "I just know what it's like. No one should be alone at a time like this."

Mary Margaret thinks of Regina, who's still waiting for her at the house. She thinks of Ruby, her best friend from childhood, who bakes muffins to help her through this. Her mind even goes to Aurora, who offered to take her drinking to get her mind off things.

She loves her friends. But she doesn't want to be with them right now.

She feels safest with the man who pours her coffee. Who's staring at her with this smile. She finds herself reaching for his hand and not letting go.


End file.
